"Scare the shit out of people. That way nobody will ever see just how scared you are."
Chapter 8
It was the day before Christmas break. Mikey tried to stay home, insisting to Gerard that nothing was going to happen at school anyway, and that they could both stay home and sleep all day, but Gerard said no.
"I have to get my art portfolio at school." Gerard insisted. "So we're going."
"Why do I have to come?" Mikey complained.
"If you think I'm leaving you home alone, you're insane."
"I'm 15!"
"You're also literally 100 pounds, you don't know how to defend yourself in a fight, and if someone broke into the house I'd come home and find you snapped in half."
"Shut up."
Gerard sighed. "Okay, tell you what: let me get my art portfolio, and then after I get it, I'll come get you and we'll both go home."
Mikey sulked but agreed. Gerard knew either way Mikey wouldn't try to cut school without him. Well, he might try but at least he wouldn't get away with it.
"Come on, it can't be that bad." Gerard said the next morning as they headed out. Mikey had tried to stay at home by using a bike chain to chain himself to his bed. Poor little Mikey, so unsuspecting and innocent, didn't realize scissors help with almost anything.
"I hate it there." Mikey mumbled.
"You think I like it?" Gerard asked. Mikey shook his head. Gerard sighed.
"Come on, Mikey." Gerard said. "It'll take like 2 hours and then I'll get you and we'll come home."
"Nobody likes me there." He mumbled. Gerard stopped walking and looked at him.
"Did anybody bother you?" Gerard asked. Mikey shook his head quickly and kept walking and Gerard grabbed his arm.
"Did someone say something to you?" Gerard repeated.
"It's not that," Mikey tried to explain. "I just don't really have any friends there. Nobody bothers me," he empathized. "I'm just... Kinda lonely there."
"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Gerard asked. He felt sorry for Mikey, but he could see Mikey thought he was being whiny. He wasn't though, Gerard thought. At least, not to him he wasn't.
"I do-Angela- but it's just hard to explain. Like, I feel like nobody cares about me there. Not that they hate me or anything. It's more like it doesn't really make a difference whether or not I'm there. You know, I feel like they just don't care about me."
They both stopped walking and Gerard put his arm around Mikey tightly. They looked up ahead at the school.
"Don't worry about it." Gerard said. "I'll get you in a few hours and we'll go home."
They hugged quickly, before anybody could see them, and then split. Almost as soon as Gerard came to school, he was actually almost happy he did. Somebody had left roses at every girls desk, with little love notes on them. The girls were swooning, and their boyfriends were angrily trying to find out who sent them. It was an entertaining sight.
But, it didn’t take long for him to feel sorry for Mikey. He knew he really only came to school because he wanted to see Frances, and he didn’t want to have to force Mikey to come. After an hour, he passed by one of Mikey’s classrooms and signaled for Mikey to come to the door.
“Be ready the very second the bell rings. I’ll take you home.” He said.
Mikey nodded happily. “Thank you!” he called quickly, as he ran back towards his desk.
Gerard headed towards the art room. The classroom was empty, but the teacher had given Gerard permission to come in whenever he wanted. He took out his portfolio and carried it to a desk. The room was dark, but he still took out the drawings and started looking through them. Suddenly, he felt someone walk behind him, covering his eyes. He didn’t even have to look, he knew it was Frances. She leaned against him, and whispered in his ear “Someone told me there was a girl here, with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair,”
He laughed and she took her hands away. When he turned to face her, she held out a rose.
“And this is for the girl that I love best, better than all the rest.”
“I’m not a girl.” Gerard responded. She giggled.
“Whatever you say.” She handed him the flower.
“Wait, that’s for me?” he asked. She nodded.
“I gave one to every other girl. It’s only fair.”
“Wait, you were the one that gave all the girls flowers?” he asked, shocked. She nodded casually, sitting back on the table.
“Do you realize how much trouble you just caused?”
“Hey, I think every girl needs to get a flower from somebody.”
Gerard shook his head, but he couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re really something else.”
Frances leaned over towards his drawings. He prayed she wouldn’t find the drawings he’d done of her.
“What are you going to do this lovely break?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I’m supposed to get my brother in a few minutes, so that we can skip. He doesn’t want to be here.”
“Understandable.” Frances laid down on the table. She moved slightly to her side so that she could face Gerard. He reached over and pushed her hair out of her eyes and she grinned at him.
“You want to hang out during the break?” he asked as casually as he could. She shrugged.
“Why not?”
“When would you want to?”
“Call me whenever.” She said.
“Frances?”
“Yeah?”
He paused hesitantly. “Do I really look like a girl?”
She nodded. “Just put on some eye makeup and a leather jacket and you’d be such a rockers chick all the guys would be in love with you.”
She looked over at him and they both laughed. Then Frances sat up.
“No, but really, you do look like a girl. A pretty girl.”
“Thank you, I think.”
They laughed again and then Gerard looked over at the clock.
“Shit!” he jumped up. “I gotta go get Mikey.” He started to leave, and then turned back to her.
“I guess I’ll see you around.” He said.
She nodded and they hugged goodbye. Right before he left, Frances kissed him on the cheek. It was quick and sweet, and it startled him for a moment. She laughed, picking up the rose and kissing it, before handing it back to him. Just then, the bell rang.
“Run, child, run.” She called laughingly. He grinned and waved goodbye, running to find Mikey. Mikey was already waiting for him. Before he could say anything, Mikey grabbed his arm.
“Let’s go.” He said. Gerard nodded and led Mikey out. On their way back, Mikey started talking to Gerard about how he was going to go see Frank later, when Gerard suddenly asked “Mikey, do I look like a girl?”
Mikey looked at him, and laughed.
“No, I was serious. Do I?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Why can’t you just answer the question?”
Mikey started laughing again. Gerard threw his hands up in frustration.
“Why did nobody ever tell me that?” He asked.
After they got home, they both went back to bed. A few hours later, Mikey woke up Gerard to tell him that he was going to Frank’s house.
“Don’t bring him back here.” Gerard mumbled sleepily. “If you do I’m not responsible for his injuries.”
“I won’t.” Mikey promised.
After he left, Gerard took the rose Frances gave him out of his bag. He laid back down, placing the flower next to him. He watched it, replaying the way she gave it to him, until he fell back asleep.
"I have to get my art portfolio at school." Gerard insisted. "So we're going."
"Why do I have to come?" Mikey complained.
"If you think I'm leaving you home alone, you're insane."
"I'm 15!"
"You're also literally 100 pounds, you don't know how to defend yourself in a fight, and if someone broke into the house I'd come home and find you snapped in half."
"Shut up."
Gerard sighed. "Okay, tell you what: let me get my art portfolio, and then after I get it, I'll come get you and we'll both go home."
Mikey sulked but agreed. Gerard knew either way Mikey wouldn't try to cut school without him. Well, he might try but at least he wouldn't get away with it.
"Come on, it can't be that bad." Gerard said the next morning as they headed out. Mikey had tried to stay at home by using a bike chain to chain himself to his bed. Poor little Mikey, so unsuspecting and innocent, didn't realize scissors help with almost anything.
"I hate it there." Mikey mumbled.
"You think I like it?" Gerard asked. Mikey shook his head. Gerard sighed.
"Come on, Mikey." Gerard said. "It'll take like 2 hours and then I'll get you and we'll come home."
"Nobody likes me there." He mumbled. Gerard stopped walking and looked at him.
"Did anybody bother you?" Gerard asked. Mikey shook his head quickly and kept walking and Gerard grabbed his arm.
"Did someone say something to you?" Gerard repeated.
"It's not that," Mikey tried to explain. "I just don't really have any friends there. Nobody bothers me," he empathized. "I'm just... Kinda lonely there."
"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Gerard asked. He felt sorry for Mikey, but he could see Mikey thought he was being whiny. He wasn't though, Gerard thought. At least, not to him he wasn't.
"I do-Angela- but it's just hard to explain. Like, I feel like nobody cares about me there. Not that they hate me or anything. It's more like it doesn't really make a difference whether or not I'm there. You know, I feel like they just don't care about me."
They both stopped walking and Gerard put his arm around Mikey tightly. They looked up ahead at the school.
"Don't worry about it." Gerard said. "I'll get you in a few hours and we'll go home."
They hugged quickly, before anybody could see them, and then split. Almost as soon as Gerard came to school, he was actually almost happy he did. Somebody had left roses at every girls desk, with little love notes on them. The girls were swooning, and their boyfriends were angrily trying to find out who sent them. It was an entertaining sight.
But, it didn’t take long for him to feel sorry for Mikey. He knew he really only came to school because he wanted to see Frances, and he didn’t want to have to force Mikey to come. After an hour, he passed by one of Mikey’s classrooms and signaled for Mikey to come to the door.
“Be ready the very second the bell rings. I’ll take you home.” He said.
Mikey nodded happily. “Thank you!” he called quickly, as he ran back towards his desk.
Gerard headed towards the art room. The classroom was empty, but the teacher had given Gerard permission to come in whenever he wanted. He took out his portfolio and carried it to a desk. The room was dark, but he still took out the drawings and started looking through them. Suddenly, he felt someone walk behind him, covering his eyes. He didn’t even have to look, he knew it was Frances. She leaned against him, and whispered in his ear “Someone told me there was a girl here, with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair,”
He laughed and she took her hands away. When he turned to face her, she held out a rose.
“And this is for the girl that I love best, better than all the rest.”
“I’m not a girl.” Gerard responded. She giggled.
“Whatever you say.” She handed him the flower.
“Wait, that’s for me?” he asked. She nodded.
“I gave one to every other girl. It’s only fair.”
“Wait, you were the one that gave all the girls flowers?” he asked, shocked. She nodded casually, sitting back on the table.
“Do you realize how much trouble you just caused?”
“Hey, I think every girl needs to get a flower from somebody.”
Gerard shook his head, but he couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re really something else.”
Frances leaned over towards his drawings. He prayed she wouldn’t find the drawings he’d done of her.
“What are you going to do this lovely break?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I’m supposed to get my brother in a few minutes, so that we can skip. He doesn’t want to be here.”
“Understandable.” Frances laid down on the table. She moved slightly to her side so that she could face Gerard. He reached over and pushed her hair out of her eyes and she grinned at him.
“You want to hang out during the break?” he asked as casually as he could. She shrugged.
“Why not?”
“When would you want to?”
“Call me whenever.” She said.
“Frances?”
“Yeah?”
He paused hesitantly. “Do I really look like a girl?”
She nodded. “Just put on some eye makeup and a leather jacket and you’d be such a rockers chick all the guys would be in love with you.”
She looked over at him and they both laughed. Then Frances sat up.
“No, but really, you do look like a girl. A pretty girl.”
“Thank you, I think.”
They laughed again and then Gerard looked over at the clock.
“Shit!” he jumped up. “I gotta go get Mikey.” He started to leave, and then turned back to her.
“I guess I’ll see you around.” He said.
She nodded and they hugged goodbye. Right before he left, Frances kissed him on the cheek. It was quick and sweet, and it startled him for a moment. She laughed, picking up the rose and kissing it, before handing it back to him. Just then, the bell rang.
“Run, child, run.” She called laughingly. He grinned and waved goodbye, running to find Mikey. Mikey was already waiting for him. Before he could say anything, Mikey grabbed his arm.
“Let’s go.” He said. Gerard nodded and led Mikey out. On their way back, Mikey started talking to Gerard about how he was going to go see Frank later, when Gerard suddenly asked “Mikey, do I look like a girl?”
Mikey looked at him, and laughed.
“No, I was serious. Do I?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Why can’t you just answer the question?”
Mikey started laughing again. Gerard threw his hands up in frustration.
“Why did nobody ever tell me that?” He asked.
After they got home, they both went back to bed. A few hours later, Mikey woke up Gerard to tell him that he was going to Frank’s house.
“Don’t bring him back here.” Gerard mumbled sleepily. “If you do I’m not responsible for his injuries.”
“I won’t.” Mikey promised.
After he left, Gerard took the rose Frances gave him out of his bag. He laid back down, placing the flower next to him. He watched it, replaying the way she gave it to him, until he fell back asleep.
Update, pwease?
12/21/13